If you missed our instagram live on Clutch Made, you'll want to keep reading! Today we are talking about the five things NOT to do if you want to be a successful accessory brand and business person. During our live, Laura and I discussed 5 of the most important tips to ensure you are a successful business person and business, by NOT doing these things to your design team! These are from nearly ten years experience of working with clients in the United States, helping them build successful and marketable products and brands.
~1: Don’t go MIA with your Design Team
Stay on board when designing, making decisions, giving feedback on your tech packs, paying your invoices, answering emails. The worst thing you could possibly do is hide, not answer the questions being asked and not respond to emails. The best and most professional thing to do is to stand up and face what you deem as an obstacle: and communicate with your team.
~2-Don’t leave it up to your social media team to decide your demo and art direction
Be part of this and take responsibility for the branding and direction. It's important that you know and understand your audience and your art direction, and communicate this to your team so that they can help you grow!
~3-Don’t NOT ask questions about your design, how it functions, and what contributes to cost.
Become a part of your business and KNOW your business and your product---the same goes for your materials—find out what they are and why you are using them. This will help you in the long run, and is incredibly important for understanding your product, where it fits in the market and how you can sell it.
~4- Don’t blame your team for not giving you what you believe you wanted
This is your business, so drive the bus, don’t sit in the back seat. You need to be proactive and
~5-Don’t be nasty and mean to your makers due to your own frustrations
Remember your behavior and attitude says a lot about what type of business person you are and how you work with others. Sending nasty emails does not benefit your brand—be thankful and appreciate that you have someone to work with. This sort of behavior sets up walls not communication. Leave your hissy fits behind and try and resolve and communicate instead of casting blame.